


OTP: I cradled you in my arms! [Klance]

by inkspottedandbrokenhearted



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Keith x Lance - Freeform, Leith - Freeform, Love, M/M, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Voltron, klance, vld
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-28 08:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15703413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkspottedandbrokenhearted/pseuds/inkspottedandbrokenhearted
Summary: There is no denying that Keith and Lance are integral parts in each other's lives. The universe keeps throwing them together, time after time, until they finally figure it out.They're mean to be.Or: A collection of Klance drabbles detailing the lives of these boys and the many, many, infinite ways they show their love for each other.





	1. If I can't love him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith stops in front of one of the long windows and stares out into space. He's explored the universe pretty extensively at this point--he knows how big it is--and yet somehow he feels like there is nowhere he can go that would put enough distance between the two of them. His feelings for Lance would prevail, always, unfailingly. Because that's what love was.
> 
> “I love him,” Keith says quietly to himself, testing out the way the words taste on his tongue. Bitter, he realizes. But then again, that's what he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used to be in love with my best friend. it was never going to work between us, I knew that, but I couldn't stop myself from writing mental notes of what the girl who wins his heart needs to know. It was like I was writing a "how to love him right" book. And I was thinking about that last night and, well...
> 
>  
> 
> If you guys ever want to hit me up with questions/comments/predictions/requests/etc feel free to find me on Tumblr! @lookingglassheart1207
> 
> I love hearing from you guys and getting to know you so always feel totally free to reach out to me there!

_His birthday is July 28th. He likes yellow cake best, but will eat anything._

Keith wanders the empty castle hallways in the middle of the night, too plagued by his thoughts and fears to even consider sleeping. He's a lot of things--stubborn, hot-headed and closed-off to name a few--but he is not dumb. He sees the way Lance looks at Allura. 

_He will do anything for you without you asking, so you have to be sure to do things for him, too. Remind him to eat when he's caught up in something. Encourage him to sleep. He will take care of your every need, but he will neglect himself in the process._

It stung--more than stung, actually. It hurt in a way that made Keith feel like his insides had turned into a black hole--bottomless and draining him of every positive feeling. He would never stand in the way, of course, no matter how much he loved Lance. And oh, did he love that boy. His soul ached for Lance; for the way Lance truly saw him and didn't judge. It ached for the way Lance understood him. His body ached for the weight of that familiar hand on his shoulder, grounding him and guiding him simultaneously; reminding him that he didn't have to face things alone. 

_He doesn't like tomatoes, but he's too polite to complain. He sleeps on his side, legs pulled to his chest and arms jammed under his pillow as if, even in rest, he cannot truly relax._

Just the thought of Lance was enough to send Keith into overdrive, propelling him out of bed in the middle of the night. It was enough to leave him feeling as if someone had ripped his insides out and forgotten to replace them with something else, leaving him a hollow shell of a person. Thinking of Lance made Keith want to track down the nearest Galra ship and take it on himself because surely that demise had to be less painful than the slow death he faced every day seeing Lance's smile directed at somebody other than him. 

_He would never admit it out loud, but he likes to sleep on the side of the bed furthest from the door. It makes him feel more secure. Which works fine for me because I--_

_I--_

Keith stops in front of one of the long windows and stares out into space. He's explored the universe pretty extensively at this point--he knows how big it is--and yet somehow he feels like there is nowhere he can go that would put enough distance between the two of them. His feelings for Lance would prevail, always, unfailingly. Because that's what love was. 

“I love him,” Keith says quietly to himself, testing out the way the words taste on his tongue. Bitter, he realizes. But then again, that's what he expected. 

_He needs someone to love him more than they love themselves because that is the kind of love he will give in return. He is the moon and the sun--all the light and radiance in the entire universe--and he deserves to be treated as such. If I can't love him, at least I can do this: I can bare his soul to you so that you, the lucky one, are able to love him right._

He places a hand gingerly against the glass window, feeling the coldness of it against his skin. Quietly he repeats himself, wishing that words could fill the void. “I love him.”

He doesn't notice the sound of the footsteps until they're too close--close enough that they definitely heard what he said. He sighs, resigned to his fate long before he hears the familiar voice ask “Who do you love?”

 _Never let his selfless acts go unnoticed. He will not ask for your appreciation, but he deserves it. Never fail to notice how gentle his touch is or how he always knows the right thing to say._

Keith doesn't turn to look at Lance. He couldn't bare it. Just imagining Lance with sleep-mussed hair, lidded eyes and rumpled pajamas was enough to make Keith want to launch himself into space. Seeing it in person might finally give him the courage to actually do so. “It doesn’t matter.”

“I dunno, man, that sounds pretty important.”

_You won't ever notice his attention on anyone other than you. You've won his heart and that means you get everything he has to offer. Every glorious, amazing aspect of him is now yours._

Turning away from the window, Keith keeps his eyes down. “It's not,” he scuffs his boot on the tile, hands fidgeting in front of him. He hates how nervous it makes him seem. “What are you doing up?”

“I heard your footsteps pass my room,” He answers honestly, his voice strangely raw. Keith didn't think the hole in his chest could get any larger and yet it does, creating a pressure that makes him feel like his chest is being pried open rib-by-rib. “And I've heard you the last couple of nights, too. I'm getting worried.”

_Don't think you can ever fool him, because you can't. He's very perceptive and much smarter than people give him credit for. He will pick up on things you think nobody sees._

“I'm fine,” Keith says. But he's not fine and he doesn't sound fine and he knows it. 

Lance draws his eyebrows together. “Keith, buddy…”

Keith turns back to the window, wishing it would open up now and vault him into space. Maybe he _should_ find out if there's somewhere in the universe he can hide. And yet somehow, the prospect of not seeing Lance at all hurts more than seeing him every day and never being able to have him.

“Talk to me.”

“What do you want me to say, Lance?” His tone isn't sharp. If anything, his words are feeble--barely filling the space between them before shriveling up and disappearing. 

_He is persistent. He will stay on you until you relent and then, once you crack, once you cave--he is there to pick up the pieces and put you back together._

Lance takes a step forward, placing a hand on the back of Keith's shoulder. Keith closes his eyes and takes in a sharp breath, willing himself to not let this mean so much to him. He fails. “The truth?”

The hand on his shoulder pulls, gently, until Keith turns around. They're standing face-to-face, eye-to-eye, and just like that, Keith shatters. He feels himself break into a million pieces and scatter across the universe, each shard of him reflecting a moment of their past, showing him all the reasons he's so in love with Lance.

Their bonding moment, Lance saving him from the Galra, Lance accepting him, unwaveringly, as the new leader of Voltron…

All the memories fill Keith, giving him the courage to finally speak. It was now or never, make or break. Honestly he didn't care what the outcome was as long as it was finally resolved. He just needed to know, once and for all so he could finally give up the hope. He just needed to be put out of his misery. 

“You really want to know who I'm in love with?” Keith asks and Lance nods. A deep breath. Closing his eyes, Keith prepares to break his own heart. “It's you, Lance. I'm in love with you.”

There is a silence the length of two heartbeats. Keith counts because he can feel his heart beating in his throat, making it harder to breathe. Two heartbeats and then…

“Well that makes this a lot easier,” Lance whispers, his breath warm on Keith's face. Not even a moment later there are lips on his. 

_He will complete you. He will fill all the gaps in you, making you feel like a whole person. He will make you feel invincible. Like you can take on the world with him in your corner. He will light up all your days. I know this because…_

_I know this because…_

After their kiss ends, Keith can't bring himself to open his eyes. They are watery and he'll be damned if he cries in front of Lance. Even if he did just confess his love. Carefully, he says “What are you doing?”

“Surely you know what a kiss is,” Lance teases.

“But why me? Why are you kissing _me_ when it should be _Allura_?”

Lance's hand rests against Keith's chest. He's acutely aware of the fact that he's wearing only a t-shirt and he can feel the outline of Lance's hand in precise detail. He is certain Lance can feel his thundering heart but he doesn't mention it. Instead he says “Most people are happy when the person they confess their love to returns their feelings, you know.” 

Keith takes a jagged breath, his heart still rapidly beating in his throat. “You-?”

“I don't know where you got your ideas,” Lance leans in and Keith can't help it anymore. He opens his eyes and is immediately stricken at how open and honest Lance looks. How vulnerable. A moment before their lips meet again, Lance whispers into the night, filling Keith’s inner black hole, “but it's always been you and only you.”

_I know this because he lights up my life. He completes me. He grounds me when I need it and picks me up when I'm down. I know this because I know him--I am so lucky to say that I know him. And I love him._

_I love him the way he deserves to be loved.  
I love him like nobody else ever can. _


	2. Confess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
> 
> “What was I supposed to say, Lance?”
> 
> “Oh, I don’t know,” Lance broke out in his infamous smile, lowering his voice to mimic Keith, “you could’ve said something like: ‘Oh Lance, you’re so handsome, and such a skilled sharpshooter! I’m so lucky to be by your side!’”
> 
> “I do not sound like that,” Keith retorted, but he, too, was smiling.
> 
> “Oh, what about: ‘Lance, when I look in your gorgeous eyes, I just get completely lost.’?”
> 
> “Definitely not.”

Keith was no stranger to wounds, but he had never hurt the way he hurt now. There was an ache in his chest; a hole so large that he felt like he could fit the entire universe inside of it. It didn’t hurt like a flesh wound, it hurt in a way that made him feel like his bones were slowly splintering under the weight of it and soon–well, soon he wouldn’t be able to withstand it anymore.

Since he had come back, he had done his best to take back his place as the head of Voltron. The team accepted him back with unwavering loyalty and it meant a lot to him. Slowly he sought out each person on the team to set things right with them and to make amends for the way he had left. Well, every person except one.

He hadn’t yet been able to bring himself to face Lance. In fact, he had been going out of his way to avoid seeing Lance; going so far as to eat on his own, hours after dinner, so he wouldn’t have to sit next to him at the table.

When it came to Lance, the hole in his chest yawned open, swallowing him whole. He couldn’t even look at Lance without feeling like he had lost the ability to breathe. It hurt in a way he never could have imagined, watching Lance just exist and having to keep his distance.

Lance would do the tiniest of things–make a silly offhand comment or smile at literally anything–and Keith would be overwhelmed with love for the boy. Anything and everything Lance did filled Keith with the urge to scream out just how much he loved the boy. But he couldn’t. So instead, he avoided Lance.

Everyone except Lance had tried to talk to him about it; Pidge the most. She was insistent that they just needed to talk and things would be better, but Keith was adamant that he could _not_ do that. Because he couldn’t talk to Lance, not without spilling his secret and ruining things between them for good. He just needed time.

Time to figure out how to live with his feelings. That’s it.

And yet, he had his doubts. He had nothing but time–two years of it!–while traveling with his mom and Kosmo and that had done nothing to dull his love for Lance. In fact, that was when the ache in his chest had really begun. The distance between them got under his skin, making him feel like he was being pulled in a million directions, reaching, always reaching for wherever Lance was. There are few things he wouldn’t have given in those two years to have Lance back, making snide remarks at him.

“Hey man,” Lance’s voice was soft in the evening air. Keith swallowed, steeling himself against the emotions filling his chest. “Can we talk?”

“Sure, what’s up?” He knew he couldn’t turn Lance away, and he didn’t want to. His heart had been yearning for Lance for so long, he’d forgotten what it’s like to want anything else. Every time he saw Lance laughing, he wished he were the cause. When he saw Lance’s eyes light up, he wished more than anything else that it were directed at him.

But for Lance’s own good, he had to get these feelings under control. He was doing well for a long time–he had figured out how to be friends with Lance and be okay with that. But then, when things got real and they faced death on the regular and Keith had to accept the possibility that he might lose Lance, well, that’s when he stopped having any control.

“I just…” Lance stopped next to him but didn’t look at him. Instead he rubbed the back of his head, “Listen man, I just wanted you to know that–that I really missed you while you were gone. And I’m really glad you’re back.”

For a moment, Keith was sure his heart had split open. He reached a hand up to touch his chest just to be sure. The emotions flowing through him were so strong he felt like they were a tidal wave that was going to pull him out to sea. If he didn’t get it under control soon, there would be no way for him to control what he said next. His throat felt raw as he responded, the tiniest glimpse of the truth. “I missed you too, Lance.”

He expected Lance to retort with something like ‘could’ve fooled me’, but he didn’t. Instead he turned to meet Keith’s gaze directly, his expression vulnerable. “Don’t leave again, okay? I can’t–I can’t take being away from you like that. I was worried sick. Every day, wondering–”

The tidal wave of emotions knocked Keith off his feet and took control. He didn’t even register what he was doing as he grabbed Lance’s face and pulled him into a fierce kiss.

He couldn’t explain how he felt as their lips met. Like he was living his wildest daydream? But when Lance responded by snaking a hand into his hair and pulling his face even closer, he was absolutely certain he had died and gone to heaven.

“Keith,” They broke apart for air and Lance was looking at him with this stupid, dopey grin on his face. The overwhelming feeling of love filled Keith again. He didn’t have anything left in him but love, he couldn’t even fear what Lance’s response was going to be. “Is that what all this has been about?”

“I–” Keith wanted to say no. That he, the leader of Voltron, savior of the universe, was more in control and hadn’t been held hostage to his feelings for years. But he couldn’t lie. “Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“What was I supposed to say, Lance?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Lance broke out in his infamous smile, lowering his voice to mimic Keith, “you could’ve said something like: ‘Oh Lance, you’re so handsome, and such a skilled sharpshooter! I’m so lucky to be by your side!’”

“I do not sound like that,” Keith retorted, but he, too, was smiling.

“Oh, what about: ‘Lance, when I look in your gorgeous eyes, I just get completely lost.’?”

“Definitely not.”

“Or–”

“How about this?” Keith cut him off and Lance sobered up for a moment, meeting his gaze. “Lance, I love you. And I should’ve said it ages ago because it’s been true for a long, long time.”

“Y-yeah,” Lance was clearly getting choked up at the words and it was probably the cutest thing Keith has ever seen in his life. “That works too.”

“I’m sorry I left the way I did. The truth,” the whole truth. The one he hadn’t said to anyone and wasn’t planning on ever saying to anyone, “is that I couldn’t handle being around you. There were so many things I wanted and didn’t think I could have. If I didn’t get my feelings under control, we were going to lose the ability to form Voltron and I couldn’t risk that. So I left to try and get a grip.”

“And did you?”

A wry smile, “Obviously not.”

“Why couldn’t you just tell me? Like, I get it man, you’re not much of a _feelings_ guy and you’re definitely not much of a talker, but even you have to appreciate that sometimes a conversation just _has_ to be had.”

“I mean, sure,” Keith turned to look at the sky again, “But I could already see how it was going to play out. I confess, you say you love Allura and I leave anyways to try and get _those_ emotions under control. Either way I left.”

“Or,” Lance placed a hand on his shoulder. Keith flashed back to all the times Lance had done this. All the times Lance had pulled him out of his crazy ideas or reckless paths. If there was one person he could always count on to fix things–to make him feel better, it was Lance. “You would confess to me and I would throw myself at you, saying that I’ve waited ages to hear you say that and we would, you know, ride off into the sunset or whatever.”

“Funny,” Keith says, “Because I’m pretty sure I already confessed and none of that happened.”

“Well, I guess you’ll just have to say it again!”

Keith choked, turning to look incredulously at Lance beside him. “What? No way!”

“Keith, come on! We have to do this right!”

“It’s your fault that it wasn’t done right the first time! I did my part!”

It took a moment for Keith to realize that the hole in his chest was gone. Their bickering, their proximity, his truth, all of it had done the impossible–it had made him complete again. He no longer ached with an unreciprocated love (even if Lance hadn’t said it back yet). Instead, he felt–finally–like he fit in his own skin. For the first time in years he felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be, doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing.

Lance had turned away in an overdramatic pout, his lower lip jutting out as he crossed his arms over his chest. Keith sighed and ran a hand down his face. “Fine,” he mumbled. Lance spun around, the award winning smile back on his face and Keith took a deep breath, steeling himself to confess his love for a _second_ time. Honestly, only Lance could make him do something like this. “Lance, I love you.”

“Oh, Keith,” Lance leant back dramatically, an arm delicately covering his eyes. Keith had a split second where he considered strapping Lance to the nearest ship and shooting him out into space. Instead, Lance laughed and straightened up. He placed a hand on Keith’s cheek, his thumb tracing the scar he had gotten from clone Shiro’s sword. Their eyes locked. “I love you, too.” Lance said seriously, his voice a soft whisper, “And I also should have told you ages ago.”

The gentle hand on his cheek pulled him forward until their lips met again. Keith took a moment to thank whatever higher power there was in the universe for this moment. He never, ever would have thought he would be here, now, with his feelings not only out in the open, but returned.

“And I _have_ been waiting forever to hear that, you know.” Lance whispered into the space between them. “I mean, you’ve had plenty of chances to confess before now.”

“Oh, well excuse me for missing them.” Keith shoved Lance and they both laughed. “At least I confessed first. That means I win.”

Keith tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket and started to walk inside, a smug smile on his face.

“Hey, no fair!” Lance ran after him, catching up to him in a few strides. They bumped shoulders as they fell in step with each other.

For the first night in what had to be years, Keith felt like he was ready to go to sleep. There were no more hidden feelings eating away at him. No more analyzing every situation, convincing himself to give up hope on Lance. Nothing to keep him awake until the early hours of the morning.

“So,” Lance broke him out of his thought, “We’re really doing this then? The whole thing?”

“Yeah,” Keith said, and his heart swelled, “We really are.”

“Great!” They stopped where the hallway split. Lance’s room was to the left, Keith’s to the right. “I’ll just go change and meet you in your room. Or would you prefer my room?” Keith raised an eyebrow at him. “What? You’ve made me wait this long, I’m not waiting any longer. I demand cuddles.”

“My room,” Keith said, and he could feel the stupid grin on his face as he replied.

Lance leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his lips before taking off down the hallway, “See you in a few!”

Keith took a deep breath as he walked back to his room, the smile still on his lips. For the first time, the future felt possible. It felt like something he could and should look forward to. For the first time, he wouldn’t be going back to a room filled with his daydreams. Instead he would be sharing it with the love of his life and he absolutely couldn’t wait.


	3. Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Keith,” He let out a breath and grabbed Keith’s face, pulling him in for a kiss. It was true that he had originally liked Allura. But the more time he spent with Voltron, the more he realized that Allura didn’t understand him like Keith did. Allura wouldn’t pick him above all else and Keith would. Keith seemed to complete Lance in a way he didn’t know he could be completed. A puzzle piece who’s rough edges lined up perfectly with his own. Separately, they were each disasters. But together? Together they could accomplish anything.
> 
> They laughed together, they fought together and, at the end of the day, they still sought each other out. They had been apart and they had fought and still, through it all, they found each other.

It was an entirely different experience to sit outside the garrison, looking up at the stars. Lance had floated through the entire universe and yet somehow, this was the most mystical the stars had ever looked to him. The air was cool as it brushed across his face but it didn’t matter, he couldn’t sleep as it was. He hadn’t slept consistently well in years but that was because there was always the constant threat of an attack hanging over his head. Now–well, now he just had too much on his mind.

“Hey.”

Lance looked up, startled, to find a disheveled Keith standing above him, his hair mussed and his eyes sleepy. “Hey…” he replied hesitantly.

Keith sat down next to him, leaning his back against one of the towers too, their shoulders only a few inches apart. “What are you doing out here?”

Silenced stretched between them while Lance considered his answer. Keith was the team leader and one of his closest friends. Keith was… special to him. He wanted to be honest with Keith. And yet, since he had come back, Keith had been anything but welcoming to Lance.

“Lance?”

Keith was looking at him with an unreadable expression. Slowly, Lance let out a breath and started to talk. “I thought coming back here would be a dream come true, you know? Coming home after everything we’ve been through? And it’s great to be back and to see my family–really, it’s great!”

“But?” Keith prompted, his dark eyes still unwavering.

“But… it doesn’t feel like home.”

Keith’s eyebrows rose in surprise and he opened his mouth to say something but seemed to decide against it. It was the truth, but not the whole truth. What Lance had said was the bones of the truth–the very basic, building blocks of the truth. But it was missing the rest and he felt like he needed to say it. It had been suffocating him for months–or had it been years? Time had gotten all out of sorts.

“At least, it didn’t feel like home. Until–until now.” Lance stared steadfastly at the stars above them, trying not to even look at Keith out of his peripheral vision. There was a feeling of a weight being lifted off his chest. It was a moment of relief, to have finally said it.

“Lance…” Keith breathed and Lance couldn’t stop the way his heart jumped when hearing his name whispered like that.

“I feel like I’m home when I’m with you, Keith. Like you’re–like you’re my home.” He was rambling now, clarifying something that didn’t need to be clarified. Keith surely understood what he meant the first time, he didn’t need anything extra.

A moment of silence passed before Keith turned to look at the sky, too. “I missed you too, Lance.”

This time it was Lance’s turn to turn, eyebrows raised in surprise. “You did? You’ve been so–” Keith turned back and their eyes met. The accusation of him being cold and distant died on Lance’s tongue. Even if it were true, he wouldn’t guilt Keith about it. “Nevermind.”

“I was gone for two years. Do you know what that’s like? To spend two years with only one other person? Things change. I changed. And I assumed–” Keith took a shaky breath. He balled his hands into fists and shoved them behind his back. “I assumed the team had moved on. That you had moved on and forgotten me. And I didn’t want to…”

“Want to what?” Lance prompted. Somewhere along the way their conversation had turned into a hoarse whisper and it felt strangely intimate. There was all this open space around them and yet it felt so insignificant.

“Hold you back.” Keith finished.

Lance felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He wanted to shake Keith. Or maybe to punch him, he wasn’t entirely sure. But he knew that he needed to squash that idea immediately. “Keith,” His voice was firm and it seemed harsh in the silence of the night, but he pressed on. “You are my team leader. Shiro is great, I love him, but if I had to chose to follow him or follow you, I’d pick you every time.” Keith’s eyebrows rose again and Lance took a moment to appreciate that he had almost never seen Keith this surprised. “It was two years for you, but only months for us. Months where I spent every day… wishing you were back.”

The look on Keith’s face turned vulnerable and Lance was surprised to see it. He wasn’t sure he had ever seen such honest, soft emotions on Keith’s face before. “I’m sorry I have been pushing you away. I want us to be close.” Lance smiled and placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. Keith smiled in response. “So tell me what I missed while I was gone. We can start there and move forward.”

“Well, there’s the little fact that I died.” Lance said offhandedly, still overwhelmed by the emotions between them. He wasn’t sure when he had stopped seeing Keith as a rival and started wanting a genuine connection with him, but he couldn’t deny he was thrilled that they were having this… bonding moment. He smiled at the thought.

“You _what?_ ” Keith sat fully upright, his back coming off the wall of the tower and turned to look at Lance urgently. “You _died?!_ ”

“Well, yeah. But I mean, I’m fine… obviously.”

They started talking then. Lance explained all the adventures Keith had missed and Keith explained how he had found his mom and where their quest had taken them. It was a lot for them to catch up on, but it felt good. Somewhere along the way, Lance’s eyes started to grow heavy. He leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes as he listened to Keith talk.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

Hours later, Lance awoke. He rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the darkness. He was still outside and… there was something under his cheek? He sat upright and turned to his right, only to find Keith, still staring at the stars.

“You’re up,” Keith said quietly.

“Was I sleeping on your shoulder?” Lance asked, trying to fight off the blush that was rising up his cheeks.

“Yeah,” Keith looked at him then and smiled, “You looked peaceful though, so I couldn’t bring myself to wake you.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“The truth is, I haven’t been sleeping much and, well, that’s the best I’ve slept in years. So… thank you.”

Keith stood up and offered a hand to Lance who accepted it. He was hauled to his feet and the two of them were standing face-to-face. Lance had noticed before that Keith had gotten taller, but this really made it apparent. They were eye-to-eye and Lance couldn’t help but notice that Keith just looked more mature. It suited him.

“You deserved it.” Was all Keith said as they walked inside together.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

After another exhausting day of helping rebuild the entirety of Earth, Lance was ready for a break. The rest of the crew had gone to sleep but Lance was on his way outside again, heading to the tower he had been at last night. He was pleasantly surprised to get there and find Keith already sitting there.

“Room for another?” He asked and Keith scooted slightly to the side so Lance could sit easily. “You can’t sleep either?”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said.” Keith replied. Lance’s heart sank a little. “About me being home to you.”

“Yeah?”

Keith turned to look at him, his expression earnest. “Shouldn’t you feel that way about Allura, not me? I mean she’s–”

“–Cool and all, yeah, she is.” Lance interrupted, “But that’s it.”

“I thought you–”

Lance took a deep breath, steadying himself to say the other thing that had been weighing him down. “I did. But time has shown me that we aren’t right for each other. She is amazing, I’ll always think that, but she’s not what I want anymore. Not like that, at least. I always want to be her friend and in her life.”

“I see,” Keith said quietly. He appeared to lose himself in thought after this so Lance just stayed silent.

He wasn’t sure how long this– _thing_ between them would last; this honesty and openness. He had wanted it for a long time, but never held out much hope that it would actually happen. Keith was the leader of Voltron and Lance was his right hand, both literally and figuratively. It was only right that they laid themselves bare with each other. And yet, they had never done it before and Lance couldn’t help but wonder if there were a reason for that.

The silence stayed between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact, it was nice to have someone there, sharing the peace and quiet with him. He turned to look at Keith, maybe to express this thought to him, only to see that Keith had dozed off next to him. He smiled to himself and turned back to the stars, somehow feeling even more at peace than he had before.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

Both boys jolted awake at the same time. Years of being constantly vigilant and always under the threat of attack had made them both light sleepers. They heard the footsteps nearing them and both were immediately awakened.

Pidge stood over them, smiling to herself as she took pictures of them. They were, much to Lance’s dismay, a heap of tangled limbs on the ground. Lance thought back to the night before and realized he must’ve also fallen asleep leaning against the tower. And somewhere in the middle of the night they… moved? So now they were laying, half on top of each other, half side by side, legs twisted around each other on the ground and the whole base was awake.

Lance shoved a hand under him, right next to Keith’s face, and propped himself up. He started to try and untangle their legs but Keith just laid there, not moving. “Quiznak! A little help, please!” Lance cried.

Keith smirked but shook his head. Lance tried again to untangle their legs and, after immense difficulty, manage to separate them. “Thanks for nothing,” he muttered under his breath.

Pidge laughed, despite herself. Her face splitting into a grin as she did so. A moment passed and then Keith was laughing with her. Lance stood to his feet, face aflame, and stomped back inside.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

He wouldn’t make the same mistake again, he told himself. He wouldn’t go out to the tower tonight. He would stay locked up in his room where nobody could find him tangled up in Keith.

It was pathetically comical, Lance knew, the way they had woken. His heart had been tangled up in Keith like that for a long, long time. But to physically be wrapped around him? As if it were a visual representation of how he had always felt? It was sad and it made him feel very… exposed. It had clearly been nothing other than an accident to Keith and while it _was_ an accident, it was also close to revealing his deepest secret.

He and Keith had been getting close, sure, but he wasn’t sure they would ever be close enough for Lance to admit that he….

Admit that his feelings for Keith…

A knock sounded on his door moments before the door opened, revealing Keith in sweatpants and a tshirt. Lance swallowed.

“You didn’t come,” Keith said, crossing the threshold. The door closed behind him. It sounded almost like an accusation as he repeated himself. “You didn’t come.”

“To the tower?” Lance knew what Keith was talking about but was delaying while he tried to get his thundering heart back under control.

“I waited for you.”

“I’m sorry, I–” Lance stuttered, his words getting tangled on his tongue. He was trying to think of something to say but all that was coming to mind was his train of thought from before and he was absolutely _not_ going to say any of that out loud.

Keith didn’t wait for Lance to say anything else. He crossed the room in a few quick strides, and took a seat next to Lance on the bed. Lance was frozen in what could only be described as a mixture of excitement and fear.

“Lance,” Keith breathed his name in that stupid way he did. The way that always made Lance’s heart take off. “I need to tell you something.”

“So tell me. You can tell me anything.”

“I–” Keith wavered and took a shaky breath. His uncertainty spread over to Lance who felt like his nerves were on fire. His heart was thundering in his chest and he felt like he was going to vomit while he waited quietly for Keith to say whatever it was. “I love you, Lance,”. Lance’s heart stopped beating. “And I don’t think I can sleep without you by my side.” Was he still breathing? “And whatever happens next, I want–I want us to make sure we face it together. Because we do make a great team and I’ve spent enough time away from you already. I don’t want to do it again.”

Lance was sure his life had ended. He was absolutely certain that this was a dream, or a trick. Or… something other than reality. He wasn’t sure what, but it couldn’t be really happening. He had dreamt of meaning this much to Keith for… well, a long time. Time was weird and Lance could barely keep track of it but he knew with absolute certainty that he had dreamed of this moment at least a million times.

“What about Acxa?”

“Acxa?” Keith echoed, obviously surprised that this was Lance’s response to a love confession. “What about her? Do you think I–?” Lance nodded the tiniest nod, afraid to move. Afraid that anything could shatter this illusion. Keith laughed. “I’ve spoken to her like, three times? I don’t even know her!”

“So…” Lance swallowed against the lump forming in his throat. He could feel the hope swelling through his chest and tried to keep it from taking over. “You mean it? You… love me?”

“I love you,” Keith repeated in a way that was both unsure and brutally honest. It was raw and genuine and it tore Lance’s heart open with sheer happiness.

“Keith,” He let out a breath and grabbed Keith’s face, pulling him in for a kiss. It was true that he had originally liked Allura. But the more time he spent with Voltron, the more he realized that Allura didn’t understand him like Keith did. Allura wouldn’t pick him above all else and Keith would. Keith seemed to complete Lance in a way he didn’t know he could be completed. A puzzle piece who’s rough edges lined up perfectly with his own. Separately, they were each disasters. But together? Together they could accomplish anything.

They laughed together, they fought together and, at the end of the day, they still sought each other out. They had been apart and they had fought and still, through it all, they found each other.

“Keith,” Lance breathed again as he pulled away. Keith’s face was split open with a smile Lance had never seen before and his eyes were watery.

“I honestly wasn’t sure how you would react to that,” Keith whispered to the space between them.

“Are you kidding?” Lance leaned in and kissed him again, pulling his lips away but leaning their foreheads against each other. “I’ve loved you for a long time,”

“Yeah?” Keith touched Lance’s cheek. “I bet I’ve loved you for longer.”

Lance laughed then, closing his eyes against the feeling of Keith’s fingers on his cheek. There were tears in his own eyes, too, but he wasn’t going to cry. They had been through so much together, this was inevitable. And yet, somehow, it still felt like the ultimate bliss.

“Stay,” Lance said and Keith nodded.

They stood and rearranged themselves until they were laying together in Lance’s bed, fingers intertwined, facing each other.

They laid in a silent bliss for a long time, both drifting off to sleep. Right before the darkness overtook him, Lance whispered to the darkness. “Keith? As long as we’re being honest… I do remember the bonding moment.”

Keith laughed and pressed a kiss against Lance’s forehead. “I knew you were a fucking liar,” Was the last thing Lance heard as he drifted off to sleep. It was the first of very, very many night of wonderful, undisturbed sleeps and mornings waking up to the person he loved most in the whole universe.


	4. Flirting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith was a self-proclaimed lone-wolf. He didn’t often seek the company of others. But that had changed since he had gotten to know Lance. Somehow that boy had slipped right past every defense he had and nestled his way straight into Keith’s heart. For a few months now, Keith had been working on how to tell Lance how he felt. He had started trying to be more obvious–seeking Lance out on his own, confiding in him–things he would normally never do. And yet, somehow, Lance still didn’t seem to be getting the idea.
> 
> So, Keith had decided, no matter how awkward he felt, to try and speak Lance’s language, hoping he would finally understand.
> 
> \----------
> 
> Or, when Keith decides to flirt with Lance, hoping to _finally_ get his feelings across.

Keith was a self-proclaimed lone-wolf. He didn’t often seek the company of others. But that had changed since he had gotten to know Lance. Somehow that boy had slipped right past every defense he had and nestled his way straight into Keith’s heart. For a few months now, Keith had been working on how to tell Lance how he felt. He had started trying to be more obvious–seeking Lance out on his own, confiding in him–things he would normally never do. And yet, somehow, Lance still didn’t seem to be getting the idea.

So, Keith had decided, no matter how awkward he felt, to try and speak Lance’s language, hoping he would finally understand.

“Hey Lance,” Keith said as they were sitting at the counter in the kitchen one day, their lunch in front of them. Hunk and Pidge were huddled around the sink. “Do you know what you have in common with this soup? Or with ice cream?”

Lance looks up, surprised but seeming thrilled. He, of course, can recognize a pickup line from a mile away and the look on his face suggests that he’s wants nothing more than to hear this played out. “What?”

“You’re all things I want to spoon.” Keith finishes, trying to flash the flirty smile Lance always has at the end of a line.

Pidge clamps a hand over her mouth, trying her best to stifle the sound of her laughter but it doesn’t work. She loses herself to the surprise of it and Hunk starts chuckling along with her. Lance, for his part, just looks impressed.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

A few days later they’re ambling around a nearby planet. Lance and Keith had opted to go out together in search of food while the others stayed with the locals.

“Wait!” Lance halted, throwing an arm out to his side. Keith stopped suddenly, centimeters from ramming into Lance’s outstretched arms. “Are those apples?”

Keith turned a smug look on his counterpart, “We’re literal _lightyears_ away from Earth. I don’t think they have apples out here.”

“Then how do you explain _those_?” Lance pointed at a nearby tree where there were little red fruits hanging from the branches.

Before Keith could reply, Lance took off, scaling the tree easily. He reached the higher branches and painstakingly stalked down the thin branches, reaching a hand out in front of him. Just as his fingers came in contact with the apple-like fruit, his foot slipped and he tumbled towards the ground.

He closed his eyes, bracing for the impact that never really came. Instead of smashing into the ground, his fall was broken by Keith who had managed to get underneath him in time to catch him.

“You know,” Keith said as he steadied them, “You can fall from the sky, you can fall from a tree, but the best way to fall is to fall in love with me.”

Lance could feel the fire in his cheeks as he scrambled to break free from Keith’s grasp.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

They had finally had the chance to enjoy a day off. An entire day where they hadn’t even touched their Lions. Keith had, of course, spent this day training. He was relishing in the way he had been able to fluster Lance lately. He wasn’t sure his point was getting across the way he wanted it to, but he couldn’t deny that he was having fun with it in general.

About halfway through the day, Lance had wandered into the training room, asking if he could join. Keith attributed the increase in his heart rate to the exercise he had been doing, not to the fact that he got to spend more one-on-one time with Lance.

They had finished training for the day and were sitting, back-to-back, in the middle of the training room. It felt nice to just be physically close to Lance. It felt nice to be able to be alone with Lance. Keith was one of those people who preferred solitude and that was still true, but somehow Lance now fit into that solitude.

He was able to be with Lance and not feel any stress or strain. He wasn’t socially drained after spending time with Lance. When he wanted to be alone, that didn’t mean being away from Lance. There was no aspect of his life that he didn’t want Lance included in.

Lance, almost seeming to sense his train of thought, sat up and turned to look at Keith, his eyes bright. “That was some intense training, I’m exhausted.”

“Yeah?” Keith said, smiling to himself. He already had the next line ready in his head and he was marveling at how easy it was. “If your hand gets too heavy, I’ll be happy to hold it for you.”

Lance ducked his head away but Keith noticed the grin and blush gracing his face.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

Half of the way to their next destination, the Red Lion had shut down. Keith had instructed the others to go on and start setting up camp for the night while he flew over to Red to help Lance repair him. The two were floating in space, tethered to Red to keep themselves from floating away.

Lance, frustrated, threw his arms in the air. Keith, in response, decided to lighten the mood and hopefully cheer Lance up a bit. “Hey,” he said.

Lance shot him a sidelong glance, “Hey?”

“Even out here with no gravity, I’m still falling for you.”

A moment passed before Lance’s face split open. A laugh sounded through their coms and it warmed Keith’s heart. To his surprise, Lance replied. “Hey Keith? Do you know what I’m wearing?” When he answered with a surprised silence, Lance finished, “ The smile you gave me.”

Keith couldn’t do anything to stifle his responding smile.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

“We’re lost!” Keith sighed exasperatedly, using his bayard to hack off a branch that was blocking their path.

“ _I’m_ lost,” Lance replied smoothly, stepping forward, “Lost in your eyes, that is.”

Startled, Keith turned to look at Lance. Was he finally understanding? The look on Lance’s face implied that the answer was yes. Finally. “Yeah?” He said quietly, forgetting completely that they were on a mission and lost in the middle of the woods. “I think you need some vitamin _me_.”

“I think something is wrong with my eyes,” Lance took another step forward and reached up, pulling his helmet off of his head and exposing his eyes. “Because I can’t take them off of you.”

A moment later, Keith pulled his own helmet off his head, eyes trained tentatively on Lance. “You’re so beautiful I forgot my pickup line.”

Lance’s response laugh was everything Keith needed. He let a smile take over his face for a moment before laughing with Lance. The stress of the situation melted away and for a moment they were able to really enjoy each other’s company.

“Keith,” Lance said after a minute, breathless and wiping at his eyes. “I have really enjoyed these pickup lines lately,” He leaned in, just a breath away from Keith, “but there’s something I would enjoy more.”

Needing no further prompting, Keith closed the miniscule distance between them, pressing his lips against Lance’s and letting his eyes fall closed. Lance responded by running a hand up Keith’s chest and around his neck, threading his fingers into his hair. Keith wasn’t sure he could put into words how much he enjoyed that. His hands slipped around Lance’s waist, pulling him closer. Their chests were touching and Keith could almost swear he could feel Lance’s heart thundering away alongside his own.

After they pulled apart, they could faintly hear the static in their helmets. Keith picked his up off the ground where he had dropped it without realizing. Lance’s was still in his hand. They slipped them on together, just in time to hear Pidge’s voice through the speakers, “It’s about time you two got together. Now finish making out and hurry up and get back here, we need you.”

Everyone laughed.


	5. Bet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The entire team thinks we’re in love with each other,” He blurts and then claps a hand over his mouth. He can feel the redness spreading across his cheeks and down his neck. He thinks flinging himself into a wormhole with no armor would be a preferable option to this.
> 
> Keith’s face is equally red but he, at least, has the determination to look Lance in the face. “What?”
> 
> “That’s what Allura just told me. They have some ridiculous bet going on about which one of us confesses first.” He’s rambling now, and he’s aware of it, but he doesn’t know how to stop. “I mean, that’s just insane, right?” When Keith doesn’t say anything, he adds, “ _Right?_ ”

“I didn’t want it to come to this,” Pidge is sitting on a barstool in the kitchen surrounded by most of her companions. Hunk is seated directly next to her, looking like the second in command for the meeting, both of their expressions serious. “but I think we need to intervene.”

“With what?” Allura asks, seated across from Pidge. Her hair is down–a rare occasion–and she brushes a stray piece behind her shoulder.

Pidge opens her mouth to respond, but Hunk beats her to it, slamming his fists on the counter. “With Keith and Lance, of course!”

Allura looks around the room at everyone who seems to be nodding in agreement at the mention of the only two people not in the room. “Intervene with…?”

“I’m confident that we can all see what a crush those two have on each other.” Pidge takes back the speaking role, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Allura inclines her head in understanding. “We also know that they’re both too stubborn and oblivious to ever say anything to each other.”

“That’s why we propose offering them some help.” Hunk places a hand on Pidge’s shoulder to show that the idea was the brainchild of both of them.

Shiro is the only one to look unimpressed and unamused. “That’s not going to work.”

“Don’t you want to see them together, Shiro?” Pidge prods.

“Of course I do,” He responds. “But the only way it’ll ever happen is if Keith is the one to confess and he is not about to do that.”

“ _What?_ ” Hunk slams his fists on the table a second time, “You don’t think Lance would confess? He absolutely would.”

“I happen to agree with Hunk,” Allura cuts in. “Lance is one bad pickup line away from confessing his crush.”

“I love Lance, but he would never confess. That requires a lot of courage, which is definitely a Keith thing.” Pidge adds.

“Lance is very courageous!” Hunk yells, turning to look accusingly at Pidge.

“Yeah but Keith is _more_ courageous!” She counters.

Before things can get more out of hand, Coran finally speaks up. “Why don’t you guys make a wager?”

“A bet? On the love life of our friends?” Shiro’s tone is enough to convey his disapprovement of this idea.

“I like it,” Pidge says. “Shiro and I will try to get Keith to confess first. Hunk, you and Allura work on Lance. Whoever gets their paladin to confess first, wins.”

Pidge looked around the table, weighing the expressions of her teammates as the idea sinks in. Hunk and Allura both have grins on their faces and Pidge can almost see the wheels turning in their heads, coming up with ideas on how to get Lance to finally admit that he has feelings for Keith. Shiro, on the other hand, looks resigned to his fate.

“Deal,” Hunk and Allura say in unison.

Shiro sighs. “Fine, I will help. Only because I want to make sure it’s done right and nobody ends up getting hurt.”

“What are the stakes?” Hunk asked, looking determined.

“I think we should wait and see who wins,” Pidge answers, “And then the winning team gets to consult with each other and choose their prize. Everyone okay with that?”

There’s a round of affirming sounds from the rest of the clan and Pidge smiles to herself.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

Keith is sitting on the bridge with Pidge settled a few seats down from him. They aren’t talking, but it’s nicer to have company than to be alone, so he doesn’t say anything. Pidge is absorbed in one of her electronics, as expected, so Keith leans his head back and lets his mind wander. It doesn’t take long for his mind to settle on Lance. It doesn’t ever take his mind long to relate something back to Lance, it’s almost impressive.

He closes his eyes, trying to chase the thoughts out of his head. He tried his best not to think about Lance when he was around other people. It didn’t matter that he could keep a good poker face or that Pidge was distracted. He harbored a fear that somehow, she would see his feelings written all over his face.

The door to the bridge slides open and then closed but Keith doesn’t open his eyes. He would recognize the sound of Lance’s footsteps anywhere. He can tell all of the team’s footsteps apart by now, but he is always acutely in tune with Lance’s. He’s always acutely in tune with Lance. Period.

“Lance,” Pidge says and Keith imagines she must’ve looked up from her gadget. “Is that a new shirt?”

There’s no hiding the joy in Lance’s voice as he replies, “It is!”

“Keith,” Pidge says, an undertone of… _something_ in her voice. He obliges and opens his eyes, looking at her. “Isn’t Lance’s new shirt great?”

He turns his eyes to Lance to observe this new shirt for himself and he must admit that it _is_ great. It’s a little tighter than his normal shirts, but not in a way that seems to cling to him. It just hangs a little closer to Lance’s body and moves a little more fluidly with him. His other shirts were too big and he just looked like small, scrawny boy swimming in them. This shirt showed Lance for what he was; muscular and languid, not lanky. “Yeah,” he replied, swallowing. “Great.” 

He averts his eyes quickly, hoping to not seem too obvious and glances back at Pidge. She’s looking at him with an expression he can’t quite place a finger on. 

__—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—._ _

Lance is sitting on the ground in the training room, ragged breaths filling his chest. Hunk is sitting behind him, leaning his back against Lance and breathing just as heavily. Keith had been here with them but had left to shower. Lance needed to shower, too, but he was too tired to stand. 

“Man,” Hunk huffs behind him. “That was a tough session.” 

Lance lets out an unstable laugh. “For us, yeah. Keith–” he stops, clutching his bayard tightly in his hand. He turned too many things into conversations about Keith and he knew it. It wasn’t intentional–everything in his life, everything inside of him revolved around Keith–but he knew he needed to stop. He had accepted his feelings a long time ago, but he wasn’t sure how the others would feel about it, or even if it was a good idea. 

There was a lot of potential for things to go wrong. Like dating in the workplace, but worse. Dating in a close-knit team that relied solely on trust to function meant that if _anything_ went wrong, they would be doomed. The entire universe would be doomed. He would love nothing more than to call Keith his, but he wasn’t sure he could risk the whole universe for that selfish desire. 

“Yeah?” Hunk says, his voice suggesting that he’s waiting for more. 

But Lance isn’t sure he should say more. But he can’t say nothing, either. “Keith made it look easy,’ He finishes lamely. 

“He is really impressive,” Hunk says quietly. “I mean, he’s so strong. And really brave. He’s gotten us out of a lot of tough situations, you know?” 

Lance isn’t sure what to say. He agrees with Hunk–more than agrees, really. He could go on extensively about all the ways Keith benefits the team. He could go on for even longer about all the ways Keith benefits him, personally. 

“I’m continually impressed by him.” Hunk adds. 

Tentatively, Lance adds some of his own opinions. “Yeah, I agree. He’s very talented and cool. He’s skilled with his bayard, but he’s also skilled hand-to-hand. And he makes a great leader, he’s really able to bring the team together and maximize our strengths.” 

A silence stretches between them and Lance fears he has said to much. Before he can worry too much, however, Hunk shifts behind him. He turns so that he is facing Lance and shoves his shoulder kindly. 

“You should tell him all of that.” 

Lance laughs. “Are you kidding? He doesn’t care what I think.” 

“You’d be surprised.” Hunk edges. 

“He doesn’t care what _anybody_ thinks,” Lance amends, standing up, “Least of all me.” 

He helps Hunk to his feet and stalks out the door without another word, trying to push that ridiculous idea–and the sting associated with it–out of his mind. 

__—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—._ _

Keith never used to have trouble sleeping. He used to sleep peacefully at night, laid out under his covers, arms jammed under his pillows. It used to be no problem. But now–now sleeping was nothing short of elusive. Most of the time he walked laps around the castle, trying to justify it to himself as keeping a secure perimeter. But the truth was that he was hoping the exercise would wear him out enough that he would just collapse out of sheer exhaustion and sleep that way. 

Except, that never worked. Instead of being exhausted, it was like taking a trip down memory lane. He would round a corner and see Lance there, leaning against the wall and throwing his head back in a laugh. He would walk through a doorway and see Lance sitting there, the infamous flirty smile on his lips as he winked at Keith. He couldn’t go anywhere in the castle without a ghost of Lance popping up, reminding him, achingly, of the boy he loved. 

The boy spent every day around. The boy whose touch he knew inside and out. The boy who filled his soul with hope. 

Keith stopped and ran a hand down his face. _This_ was why he never slept. 

“Hey,” 

He didn’t jump, he had heard Shiro approaching. “Hey,” 

“Can we talk?” 

Keith drops the hand from over his eyes and looks at Shiro in surprise. “Now? In the middle of the night?” 

__“I’m sorry,” Shiro says, smiling wryly, “Do you have some other pressing plans?”_ _

__With a small smile of his own, Keith relents. They walk through the next door and into the control room, taking seats opposite each other. Keith tries not to look to his right where he knows he’ll see a memory of Lance._ _

__“What’s up?”_ _

__“Keith,” Shiro begins before sighing. He shifts slightly so he’s more comfortable and more relaxed. Keith’s insides knot. He recognizes Shiro going into space dad mode. “I can only watch you torture yourself for so long, you know?”_ _

__“No, I don’t know.” Keith tries, but Shiro shoots him a look and he sighs, dropping his head back onto the top of the chair behind him. “It’s nothing.”_ _

__“Mostly I’m just wondering why you wouldn’t talk to me about it. Me, of all people? I mean, Keith, you’ve met Adam.”_ _

__The words sting but Keith knows he deserves it. Especially since keeping secrets and harboring feelings jeopardizes the entire team. If he can’t talk to Lance about it, the least he could do was talk to Shiro. At the very least, it would stop weighing him down that way._ _

__“It has nothing to do with that,” He says, and it’s true. “It has everything to do with the fact that it doesn’t matter.”_ _

__“Love always matters.”_ _

Keith flinches, sitting upright. He knew he had feelings for Lance and he had moved past being able to deny them, but _love_? That was absurd! Lance had started off his rival and had somehow turned into his right-hand man, but that was as far as it went. Maybe he was mistaking admiration for something more. That could be. What couldn’t be was love. 

Shiro’s smile as he keeps speaking is kind and reserved. “I understand. I felt that way when I realized I loved Adam. But I did– _do_ love him. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” 

Loving a boy wasn’t something to be ashamed of, Keith agreed. And he wasn’t ashamed. It was just– _Lance_? Of all people? That was what he was hung up on, not Lance’s gender. 

__“I’m not–” Keith fumbles over his words, feeling them stick in his throat. He takes a deep breath, swallows, and tries again. He’s no more successful. “We’re just–” He drops his head into his hands._ _

“ _That’s_ why you haven’t told him, huh? You haven’t admitted it to yourself yet?” Shiro stands up and crosses the space between them, dropping a hand onto his shoulder. “Now I understand.” 

__“There’s nothing to admit,” Keith tries again but his words are feeble, falling apart before they even pass his lips. He can feel his heart in his chest, beating against his ribcage. He can feel the way it aches as he tries to deny what he knows is true._ _

__“All I’m going to say on it now is that you’ll be surprised, I think, if you do admit it to him. It might go better than you expect.”_ _

__Shiro takes his exit then and Keith finds himself alone on the bridge, more wide awake than he’s been in a long time._ _

__—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—._ _

__The cargo hold is colder than the rest of the ship. Lance is sure there’s some scientific reason for it that Pidge or Hunk could explain, but he didn’t really care. All he knows is that the cool air gives him a little bit of breathing room. It seemed to clear his head and allow him to focus. Also, it was normally empty._ _

__Normally. Because this time, as he walked through the door, he found Allura standing there in front of Blue. “Allura? What are you doing?”_ _

__“Oh, Lance!” She turned to look at him, a smile lighting up her face. “I actually wanted to talk to you!”_ _

__Surprised, Lance crossed the room to stand at her side. There was a time when those words would have thrilled him, but that time had passed. He still enjoyed talking to her and he wanted to hear what she had to say, but his heart didn’t take off, gallivanting across the universe, at the prospect of it. Instead it beat steadily away in his chest, unbothered. “What’s up?”_ _

__“Well, you see, everyone has been noticing–” She paused, a slight blush tinting her cheeks. “Well, we’ve all noticed your feelings for Keith.”_ _

__Immediately Lance goes on the defensive. “Woah!” He cries, taking a step back from her and throwing his hands up in between them. “Woah, woah. No. There’s nothing to notice.”_ _

__Allura presses on, “And we’ve noticed Keith’s feelings for you, too.”_ _

Lance opens his mouth to say something back to that, but he honestly isn’t sure what he would say. “Keith’s– _what_?” 

__“And honestly, Lance, we just want the both of you to be happy. So I guess I’m just here to say it’s okay. And to tell you that I think you should tell Keith how you feel.”_ _

__“There’s nothing to tell!” Lance says automatically, but there’s no real conviction behind the words. “I don’t know where you are getting your ideas from, Allura, but honestly–”_ _

__She cuts in smoothly, “Oh, it’s not just me. Everyone thinks so. We have a bet going on it.”_ _

“ _What!?_ ” 

__A look of panic crosses Allura’s face when she realizes what she’s said. “That is–” She sighs. “Well, I guess that’s out now. It’s true, we do have a bet going. Hunk and I think you’ll be the first to confess. Pidge and Shiro think Keith will be.”_ _

__“This is the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard of.” Lance drops his head into his hands. “This is insane.”_ _

__The cold air of the cargo hold is no longer helping him. Lance feels like his head is spinning in circles and he might tip over at any second. The whole team knows about his feelings? He had thought he had hidden them so well. Did that mean Keith knew, too? He took a deep breath in an attempt to steady himself, but it didn’t do much._ _

__“What about Coran?” He croaked, trying to fill the silence. Trying to get his mind off of things. Trying, just desperately trying, to get a grip. “Who did he vote for?”_ _

__“He didn’t vote,” Allura answered, an annoyed expression crossing her features. “He started to tell some story about when he almost lost the castle in a bet…”_ _

__She trails off and they find themselves in silence again. The air surrounding Allura feels tense. Like she has more to say but isn’t saying it. Unsure that he can handle it for even another second, Lance turns on his heel and walks out of the cargo hold, ignoring Allura calling his name behind him. There’s only one way to settle this._ _

__—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—._ _

__He knocks on Keith’s door before he has a chance to second guess himself. The door slides open automatically and he steps across the threshold, not waiting for Keith to invite him in. Once inside, the door slides shut, Lance looks up and all of his determination slips away. Keith stands in the middle of his room, jacket discarded and hair messy. He’s looking at Lance with a puzzled expression._ _

__“Hi?” He says, running a hand through his messy hair._ _

__Lance’s throat runs dry. He tries to look around the room, to find something to distract him, but he finds nothing. The silence is stretching on and Allura’s words are coming back to him and suddenly Lance feels like he could pass out. He needs to fill the silence. He needs to say something. He needs to leave._ _

__“The entire team thinks we’re in love with each other,” He blurts and then claps a hand over his mouth. He can feel the redness spreading across his cheeks and down his neck. He thinks flinging himself into a wormhole with no armor would be a preferable option to this._ _

__Keith’s face is equally red but he, at least, has the determination to look Lance in the face. “What?”_ _

“That’s what Allura just told me. They have some ridiculous bet going on about which one of us confesses first.” He’s rambling now, and he’s aware of it, but he doesn’t know how to stop. “I mean, that’s just insane, right?” When Keith doesn’t say anything, he adds, “ _Right?_ ” 

__Silence._ _

__A silence that seems to never end._ _

__Lance thinks maybe he imagined it all. Maybe he didn’t say anything and he’s just been standing here silently staring at Keith all this time. That would explain why Keith wasn’t saying anything. It wouldn’t explain why Keith wouldn’t look him in the eyes, though._ _

__“Keith?” He says tentatively, “Buddy?”_ _

__“Why are you so upset about it?” Keith finally asks and Lance immediately wishes they could go back to the silence. “Am I that bad?”_ _

__“No!” Lance paces in a small circle. “No, no. That’s not–”_ _

__“Then what is it?” Keith asks. There’s an edge to his voice but not the irritated one he’s used to. It’s a rough edge–fear?_ _

__Lance stops and faces Keith. His heart is beating so quickly he can no longer distinguish between beats. it feels like his insides are going to explode. The panic filling his chest is pressing against him, making him feel anxious. He needs to escape it. He needs to do something. He takes a deep breath. Another. One more. And then he launches into some long-winded explanation that he has no plan for and he just hopes for the best._ _

“Keith– _quiznak, Keith_ , you are brave and–and strong. You are our fearless leader. You are smart and competent at everything you do. I used to be jealous of you but somewhere along the line that turned to admiration. And then I got to know you and instead of being my rival you became my friend.” 

__Keith isn’t saying anything. He’s staring at Lance with a strange sort of intensity, his mouth twisted halfway into a smile. His face is still red, but he seems less panicked now. It makes Lance feel marginally less panicked, too._ _

“And then, once you were my friend, there was only one logical step left to take. I would love to deny it–I’ve _tried_ to deny it but clearly it isn’t working. If the entire team is making a bet on it, it’s definitely not working. I always want you there, Keith. You realize that, don’t you? That I always want to be next to you? And that I feel better when I have your support. I–” 

__“Lance,” Keith cuts him off and Lance is thankful. He takes a deep breath, trying to stop his spinning head and get a grip on what has been happening. If there were ever an out of body moment, this were it. “What are you trying to say? Short version?”_ _

“I’m upset because I _do_ like you, Keith. And I know it’s ridiculous to think you would like me back. I don’t expect that. And I just think we need to set it straight to everyone else so we can–” 

__It takes Keith no time to close the gap between them, pushing Lance against the door and pressing his lips to Lance’s. Lance responds, automatically, grabbing the front of Keith’s shirt and pulling him closer. It only lasts for a moment before Keith takes a step back. It’s not far enough to make Lance drop his shirt, but he does anyways, feeling suddenly self conscious._ _

__“Keith?”_ _

__“You said it yourself. If the entire team is making a bet on it, it must be obvious.”_ _

“ _Keith?_ ” Lance says again. 

__Keith shoots him a smile, all confidence and security. “Do I have to spell it out for you?”_ _

__“I would really appreciate that.” Lance replies._ _

“I like you too, Lance.” Keith says and then he drops his voice. “How could I not? You’re selfless, kind and caring. You are everything I’m not. You complete me. _God_ ,” he groans, “How cheesy is that? But it’s true.” 

__Lance crushes him in a hug. He wraps his arms around Keith’s torso and pulls their chests flush together, nuzzling his head into the crook of Keith’s shoulder. Keith responds, wrapping his arms back around Lance and securing their connection. Lance considers the possibility of staying like this forever, but he knows it can’t last._ _

__As they part, Keith meets his eyes. “Stay,” he says and it’s not exactly a demand but not exactly a request, either. More like an offer._ _

__“Are you sure?” Lance asks. Keith nods. “I’m not going to wake up tomorrow with your knife pressed to my throat?”_ _

__Keith rolls his eyes but chuckles a little anyways. “No death threats to start the day, I promise.”_ _

__“Keith?” Keith looks up at him, his expression clear. Lance notices the way his shoulders look less tense. He notices the way his own shoulders feel less tense. Maybe getting the truth off your chest did that for you. “I like you.” He repeats. “Really like you. More than like you.”_ _

__“I love you too, Lance.” Keith says._ _

__—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—._ _

__Pidge happens to be walking by Keith’s door at the exact right time the next morning. She happens to be the one standing in the hallway when the door opens to reveal Keith and Lance, together, exiting the room. Lance is in one of Keith’s shirts, although it fits him well, and they’re both sporting a bad case of bed head._ _

__“Good morning, you two.” She says, trying to keep her voice innocent._ _

__“Good morning,” Keith replies, entirely unruffled by her roving eyes._ _

__“Mornin’,” Lance mumbles, eyes elsewhere and cheeks slightly pink._ _

__“Did you two… have a good night?” She asks._ _

__Instead of responding, Keith grabs Lance’s hand, lacing their fingers together. The cheesy smile that lights up Lance’s face in response is all she needs._ _

__“Finally,” She breathes. “Who confessed first?”_ _

__“Sorry, Pidge, we’re busy. We have lots to attend to.” Keith says as the two of them set off together._ _

__“Wait! Just tell me how it happened!” She yells at their retreating back._ _

__“See you later for training!” Is the only response she gets._ _


	6. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hollowness in his chest aches along with his lungs. It feels like each breath is bringing him closer to ripping, finally, at the seams. He doesn’t think he can take any more--doesn’t think he can handle hearing Lance say any more nice things about him. “I left you, don’t you realize that?”
> 
> “I do.”
> 
> “And I’ve been awful since I came back.” The words nearly fade out as he speaks but he knows Lance understands what he’s going for.
> 
> “I know.”
> 
> “You should hate me.”
> 
> “Maybe,” Lance says, pressing his face more firmly into Keith’s shoulder, “But I don’t. And I won’t, no matter how much you tell me to.”

It was an ambush. And ambush he should have _seen_. He should have _known_. It was his job as the leader to know these things and yet he had been caught off guard. He had put his entire team, earth, the entire quiznaking _universe_ in danger with his oversight. It was inexcusable, at best.

He had asked his mom probably thirty times by now if she was absolutely certain everyone on the team had made it out alive. She assured him every time that they were all still around. Beaten and banged up, but alive at the very least. It didn’t do much to help him sleep at night--he barely slept as it was--but it was at least one less thing for him to worry about into the early hours of the morning.

Keith’s body was significantly worse for wear and every movement hurt. He relished in the pain, though, thinking it was what he deserved. He deserved to be falling apart after he had let his team down like that.

The door to his room slid open and he looked up to see Lance standing there, a bandage wrapped snugly around his head and crutch under one arm. Keith’s heart constricted and bitterness seemed to creep up his throat.

“Hey,” Lance said, hobbling into Keith’s room. His movements were slow and clumsy with the crutch, but it didn’t seem to dampen his spirits. The look of relief that had flooded his face when the door had opened and he had seen Keith was enough to make Keith want to throw himself into a ditch. He didn’t deserve that look.

“What are you doing up? You should be resting.”

“I came to see you,” Lance said, “to make sure you were alright.”

“Well you should go back to your room.” Keith turned his attention away, going so far as to turn his torso so his back was to Lance. He had been rude to Lance since he’d returned and he knew it. He had to fix it eventually, but now was not the time. Now he needed Lance to hate him. Lance should definitely hate him for everything that had happened.

To his surprise, he heard a chair scraping across the floor of his room and then uncoordinated _oof_ as Lance sat down. “No.”

“ _Lance_ ,” Keith’s voice was a warning.

“I’m not leaving, no matter how much you yell.”

“Then I won’t yell,” Keith said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I just won’t say anything at all.”

Lance laughed, “Wow,” he said, adjusting his position. The material of the hospital chair made it possible for Keith to hear every movement he made. “That’s really mature. Our great leader giving me the silent treatment.”

_Our great leader._

The words cut straight to Keith’s heart, making him glower. He doesn’t deserve to be called that. He never should’ve taken over for Shiro. It was necessary when Shiro was missing but, once he was back, that should’ve been it. Keith left the team and somehow, still, they had accepted him as their leader. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve anything positive in his life.

The room grew silent, save for the steady beeping of the machine next to him. He refused to turn and look at Lance. And Lance, for his part, didn’t seem eager to add anything to the silence. So they sat, quietly. And Keith let his mind wander back to that final battle.

Back to when Lance’s coms were down.

When he wasn’t responding.

When Keith thought, briefly, that he had lost Lance.

If Lance had died then, it would’ve been his fault. He would’ve died because Red didn’t get to him in time. And the only reason that was even possible was because of the ambush. Keith clenches his fists, pressing them firmly into his torso. He clenches his jaw, trying his hardest to not say anything. To not kick Lance out.

Lance shifted in the chair again. “Keith,” He said finally. His voice was soft and concerned. Keith wanted to pull the covers over his head in response. “I know that face.”

“I’m not making a face,” He retorted like a petulant child. He hated himself for it. But where did Lance get off being concerned for him? He had been nothing short of _awful_ to Lance and he knew it.

“You can’t possibly blame yourself for this,” Lance continued, unbothered by Keith’s obviously closed-off mood. “You couldn’t have known.”

“I _should_ have known!” Keith yelled, throwing his arms out to the side and rounding on Lance. “I’m sure there was a way and I should have found it. You almost _died_ , Lance. Everyone almost died! Because of me!”

“ _Not_ because of you.” Lance’s contradiction was sharp but not unkind. He met Keith’s gaze head on.

“ _I_ am the leader! It is _my_ job to get everyone out safely and I barely even managed that!”

“Will you stop acting like the lone-wolf?” Lance’s gaze was fierce. Keith started, his arms dropping to his sides, surprised. “You are the leader, yes. Of a _team_ , which, if you haven’t figured out, is a group of people _who work together_.”

Keith opens his mouth to retort to that, but can’t find his voice. He snaps his mouth shut again, turning his head to look out the window on the wall opposite Lance. There was a flurry of emotions brewing inside of him, few of which were good. He tried to swallow the anger down, lest he snap at Lance again. He knew Lance didn’t deserve his anger but it was hard not to direct it at him when he was arguing like this.

“Get out.”

“No.” Lance crossed his own arms.

“Lance, just go. I want to be alone.”

“ _No._ ”

The anger was steadily rising, filling Keith’s mouth with a bitter tang. “What do you want me to say, Lance? That you’re right? I’m not at fault? Do you want to absolve me of the guilt I have for leaving you guys too? For being a dick to you since I came back? Do you want to paint me as some innocent saint who can do no wrong? Because _that’s not me_ , Lance.”

Lance looked surprised, but not upset at Keith’s sudden outburst. “No? Then what _is_?”

“I’ve done nothing but mess up! I’m hot-headed--”

“Clearly,” Lance muttered under his breath.

“I _abandoned_ you, Lance. There’s no other way to put it! I didn’t want to make a decision so I _ran_. I got everyone sucked into a trap because I was too angry to listen to anyone. And today I let us fall prey to an ambush.”

“That--”

But Keith wasn’t done. His chest was heaving and each breath burned his lungs, but it felt good to let the words out. He knew there was nothing he could do to get the guilt to go away, but it felt like something he might actually be able to live with now. “I thought you died for a moment there, Lance. You weren’t responding, and Red wasn’t down here. I--” Keith’s voice cracks, but he presses on, determined, “I thought you _died_ and it was _my fault_.”

A stunned silence followed his words. Keith could feel the tears in his eyes and didn’t have the energy to fight them off. He curled his arms around himself, then, grabbing each elbow with a hand and bent forward, collapsing in on himself. The full weight of everything seemed to hit him all at once and suddenly those burning breaths disappeared. He gasped for air, resting his forehead against one of his knees.

“Go,” He begged Lance one more time.

A moment passed before he heard Lance clumsily standing from his chair. Keith closed his eyes, waiting to hear those footsteps cross the room and eventually fade away. Instead, he felt the bed sink down next to him with the weight of another person and a moment later there’s a hand on his back, rubbing small circles.

“I didn’t die, Keith.” Lance’s voice is quiet next to him. “I’m fine. Everyone is fine. You can’t blame yourself for something that _almost_ happened.”

The tears slip down his cheeks and Keith tries to speak around the lump in his throat, swallowing hard. “And what about next time? What if next time I do something stupid and reckless you _do_ die?”

He feels Lance’s forehead on the back of his shoulder and suddenly Lance’s words are so much closer. “Have a little faith in me, would you? It’ll take a lot more than one of your stupid ideas to kill me.”

Keith makes a strangled sound, almost a begrudging laugh, at that. The weight of Lance leaning against him feels good. It makes him feel secure, like being wrapped in a blanket. Lance is warm and firm and holding him together when Keith literally feels like he’s splintering apart. He had been trying to ignore these feelings for months, now, but he couldn’t do it any longer. Not after everything that had happened today.

“I’m not meant to be a leader.”

“The Black Lion-”

“Believe it or not,” Keith’s voice is bitter and hollow and it reflects the way he’s feeling inside. “I think the Black Lion can make a mistake. It’s just a machine, after all.”

He expects Lance to scold him for saying something like that, but he doesn’t. Instead, his hand stops rubbing circles on his back but it settles on the bed next to Keith’s hip and he finds himself in a half hug. “Then take it from me. There is no better leader for us. Not even Shiro.”

“How can you say that?”

“You have taken the time to get to know us. You see our strengths. You know how to make us work together. We-- _I_ wouldn’t be here without you. I trust your judgement unconditionally, Keith.”

The hollowness in his chest aches along with his lungs. It feels like each breath is bringing him closer to ripping, finally, at the seams. He doesn’t think he can take any more--doesn’t think he can handle hearing Lance say any more nice things about him. “I left you, don’t you realize that?”

“I do.”

“And I’ve been awful since I came back.” The words nearly fade out as he speaks but he knows Lance understands what he’s going for.

“I know.”

“You should hate me.”

“Maybe,” Lance says, pressing his face more firmly into Keith’s shoulder, “But I don’t. And I won’t, no matter how much you tell me to.”

Keith takes a deep breath and opens his eyes, straightening slightly. He doesn’t move enough to dislodge Lance from his position because, the truth is, he relishes in the closeness. He appreciates Lance being here for him despite everything. And the comfort Lance is providing just with his touch is more than Keith could have ever hoped for.

Lance readjusts as Keith moves, bringing himself even closer. He lifts his head and settles it with his chin on Keith’s shoulder, wrapping his arms fully around Keith’s torso and clasping them in the front. His face is right next to Keith’s ear and he takes the chance to hum a soothing tune quietly to the two of them. Keith closes his eyes and lets his head fall slightly to the side, resting against Lance’s.

A few moment’s pass and Lance’s tune comes to an end, but his grip on Keith doesn’t lessen. They sit like that until their breathing synchronizes.

Finally, Lance speaks again. “I know how stressful this has been. It’s been stressful on everyone, but you most of all. I mean, you lost Shiro, then you got him back. Then you found your mom and Kosmo. It’s like you haven’t had a break.”

As Lance mentions everyone, faces flash in his mind. Allura and Coran first, then Pidge and Hunk, Shiro, his mom, Kosmo… Everyone who was relying on him. The fear seizes his gut again, but not as strong this time.

“But you have done everything you can. You have saved us all a million times. You’ve saved me a million and one times. I owe my life to you.” The knot is back in Keith’s throat. “You’ve helped me grow, Keith. You’ve believed in me when nobody else did, defended me when you didn’t need to. I don’t know why you can’t see how amazing you are.”

“I don’t deserve those kind words,” He chokes out.

Lance squeezes tighter. “You deserve so much more. I wish I knew how to express your value to you. I’ll keep working on it but for now, just take my word on it, okay?”

“Okay,” He mumbles.

Lance squeezes him one more time and goes to straighten up but Keith catches at his wrists, stopping him from untangling them. There’s a small huff of a laugh in his ear, but Lance obliges and nestles back in.

“Lance?”

“Yeah?”

“Why didn’t you leave? You know, when I asked you to.”

He feels Lance turn and slowly lift his head, his nose drawing a light path on Keith’s neck. Keith shivers. “Would you have left me?”

“I _did_ leave you,” Keith replies bitterly.

“No,” Lance pulls away and leans forward so he can meet Keith’s eyes over his shoulder. Keith obliges, holding their eye contact, despite his nerves as to what Lance is about to say. “You left because you had to. Do you know how much good you did when working with the Blades? I don’t begrudge you for leaving, Keith. You didn’t do it out of malice.”

“I did it out of fear.” Keith admits, finally. He had never said it out loud. He had never admitted to anyone that he was afraid, even though he was. He was sure they knew but what confidence could you have in a leader who was openly afraid all the time?

Lance’s chin grazed his shoulder as he nodded. “I know you were afraid. I’m afraid all the time. The difference is that you still make a decision and act on it. Me? When I’m afraid? If I didn’t have you there pushing me, believing in me, I wouldn’t do anything.”

Keith moves then, adjusting himself so that he is facing Lance, one leg dangling off the edge of the bed. His heart is hammering in his throat. Lance is looking back at him with such a soft expression that he feels like he may just disappear. There’s no expectation in Lance’s gaze, no hatred, nothing but genuine affection. He wants to say more, but he doesn’t think he can. Not now, at least.

Now, he just needs to relish in Lance’s comfort. He has said enough for now. These issues--these fears--were not going to go away with just one conversation. But the sharp edge of them seemed duller, less painful. He felt like he could breathe a little easier for the first time in awhile.

Taking a deep breath, he laid down on his side, pulling Lance down in the bed next to him. Lance moved slowly, accommodating for his injuries, but he laid down with no hesitation. He adjusted until he was comfortably on his back next to Keith who was flush against his arm.

“Please don’t leave,” Keith said, pressing his own forehead into Lance’s shoulder. “I can’t do this alone.”

“I’ve been trying to tell you,” Lance moves his other arm across his body and laces it into Keith’s hair, stroking slowly, “ _you don’t have to._ ”


	7. Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance takes a shaky breath, one Keith can hear now that he’s closer and finally raises his eyes past Keith’s naked torso and to his eyes. There’s a mixture of uncertainty and determination there and Keith honestly isn’t sure what to expect when Lance speaks next. “I need to tell you something.”
> 
> “And you want to tell it to me while I’m shirtless?” Keith shoots for teasing and he sees the way Lance recognizes it. He also sees the way Lance seems to get more nervous in response to it.
> 
> “I want to do a lot of things while you’re shirtless,” Lance mumbles, his blush somehow darkening even further.

Life was unfair, that much Keith knew. It proved that over and over again, but never more so than when it decided to stick him alone in an elevator with Lance… _again_.

The elevator shuddered to a screeching halt, knocking both boys off balance. They stumbled around, bumping into each other until the elevator finally stopped shaking. Lance was immediately looking at Keith with wide eyes.

“ _Again?_ ” He asked.

Keith cursed under his breath, trying to take a few steps away from Lance. Except there was only so far he could go and Lance was just standing there, staring at him and not moving. He could reach out and touch Lance if he wanted to. And he did want to, but he knew he shouldn’t. Lance staring at him with wide blue eyes didn’t help, either. Keith loved his eyes and how expressive they could be, but he was weak when they were directed at him and currently they were unwavering.

He tried to avert his gaze somewhere else but the inside of the elevator was bare and he already struggled enough on a daily basis to keep his eyes off of Lance. Now here he was, locked in an enclosed space with him and nothing else to look at. What did he do to piss off the gods today?

“Is there, like, a call for help button?” He asks, scanning the walls of the elevator again.

There’s not, and he knew there wouldn’t be, but he needed an excuse. He needed to stop looking at Lance and noticing the way the sleeves of his shirt were tighter around his upper arms now. He needed to not look at the sliver of tanned skin that appeared when Lance raised his arms, clasping them behind his head in frustration. Lance was naturally a shade or two darker than everyone else and it fit him so well. He was full of life and happiness and the rich color of his skin only exuded that further.

Keith swallowed dryly, trying to stop his mind from thinking like that. He needed to push the thoughts from his mind when all he wanted to do was push Lance up against the wall. He wanted to run his fingers against that strip of skin. He wanted–

Clenching his fists, he turned away from Lance. He was better than this. Normally he was able to just shrug it off and distract his mind with something else. But there wasn’t anything else _to_ distract himself with right now. Unless he turned his back completely to Lance, there wasn’t a way he could stand where he couldn’t see Lance and even he wasn’t rude enough to turn away completely.

“Do you think we’ll be stuck here for long?” Lance asks.

“How should I know?” Keith tries to keep the edge out of his voice but a little seeps through and he closes his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t have any more information than you do.”

Finally, _finally_ Lance moves from his spot in the dead center of the elevator. Except, instead of moving away, he moves closer. Too close. So close that Keith can feel his chest brushing against his arm. He sucks in a deep breath and holds it, trying to to let the pressure in his chest distract him. He tries so hard to not feel the warmth of Lance right against his shoulder. He tries not to wish Lance were somehow even closer.

“Keith, buddy, you okay? Are you claustrophobic? You look kinda–” Lance’s words cut off when the elevator stutters and then starts moving again.

The boys are thrown off balance a second time, both stumbling to the left. Keith hits the elevator wall and Lance hits Keith. Lance manages to throw his hands out in time to stop him from slamming completely into Keith, but the end result isn’t much better for Keith. Lance’s hands are on either side of his head, pinning him to the wall and those blue eyes are looking right into his from an uncomfortably close distance.

It takes a moment for them to get their feet solidly underneath them. Just as they finally feel steady, the elevator stops and the door slides open. Keith, trying not to notice the fact that his nose is just centimeters away from Lance’s, pushes off the wall, past Lance and nearly sprints off the elevator.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

Patience was not something Keith would ever say he has a lot of. He’s aware of his shortcomings and does his best to work around them or accommodate them but sometimes it’s too difficult.

“Will you please just be _quiet_ for a second? I’m trying to think!” Keith growls.

Lance, unmoved by his attitude, continues on. “I’m just saying, if we went that way–”

“ _Lance_.”

A hand appears on his shoulder before Lance has a chance to retort to his sharp tone. Shiro leans down, speaking quietly in his ear. “What’s wrong?”

“I just need quiet,” Keith says. “I need to think.”

And it’s true. He does need to think. But if he’s being honest with himself, Lance talking isn’t what’s stopping him from thinking. What’s stopping him is the idea that he can’t shake–the thought that kissing Lance would be a quick and efficient way to get him to be quiet. But he can’t. Even if everyone weren’t here, he couldn’t do that.

“Keith,” Is all Shiro says in response but he understands all the same. His temper is getting away from him and it’s Lance’s fault, but it’s also not Lance’s fault because there’s nothing he could do to not be distracting. Just his existence is tempting Keith and derailing his train of thought.

He runs a hand down his face, more frustrated with himself than anything else. After a moment’s pause and deep breath he bites out, “I’m sorry, Lance. What were you saying?”

Lance looks at him warily. He’s leaning against one of the long windows, the starlight illuminating him. His eyes nearly sparkle with it and it makes him look like he’s glowing like an angel. His edges are soft and he almost looks like he’s fading into space. As if he is one with the whole thing. Somehow it seems fitting to Keith, that Lance would be a part of something so vastly magnificent. It is perhaps the most breathtaking thing Keith has ever seen and he hates that he can’t say anything about it.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

Keith had wanted Lance for a long time. And even though most of his intruding thoughts were physical, that wasn’t all he wanted. He wanted to be better with words. He wanted to be the one putting a comforting hand on Lance’s shoulder and assuring him that things would be alright. He wanted to be able to draw Lance in and hug him when he needed reassurance.

He wanted to be the person Lance came to in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep. He could just picture it, Lance seated backwards in his desk chair, legs pulled up and hair messy, rambling about anything and everything.

He imagined it often–every night often. He knew Lance couldn’t sleep and he couldn’t sleep either and he wished, more than anything, that they wouldn’t sleep together. Instead they would stay up into the middle of the night, deliriously sharing secrets with each other and just laughing. He would be able to reach out easily and touch Lance, grabbing his hand and drawing him over so they were seated on the bed together.

He would be able to lean into Lance, his head on Lance’s shoulder, enjoying the way he smelled. He would be able to enjoy the innocent comfort of Lance’s presence, and the way his laugh rumbled in his chest. They would be drunk on life and they hours would fly by in the blink of an eye.

It was so easy for him to picture it. It was like it was just _meant_ to happen. And yet, there was never a knock on his door after everyone else went to bed.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

The training room was the only place Keith felt like he could breathe. It was a way for him to take out his pent up energy as well as a place he usually didn’t run into Lance. Or anyone, really. He was finally able to be alone and work through all the things that built up inside him.

Sweat drips down his forehead and he wipes it away with the back of his wrist. The training bot was deactivated, crumpled on the floor in front of him after it’s defeat. He was breathing heavy, his shoulders heaving up and down with every breath, but it felt good. It felt like a release.

Feeling better than he has in a long time, he exits the training room and heads back to his own room to take a quick shower. He emerges from the bathroom, shorts low on his hips, towel slung over his shoulder and hair dripping water down his bare back to find Lance sitting on his bed, also looking freshly showered.

Even from across the room he can see the spots on Lance’s shirt that are darker from his wet hair dripping onto it. He can tell by the way the shirt clings to his chest that he wasn’t completely dry when he had thrown the shirt on. His hair looks longer when wet, curling around his ears and at the base of his neck.

Keith thinks back to the night before–to Lance bathed in the light of the stars. Then he had looked soft and beautiful. The most beautiful he had ever looked. Now he looked a little more wild and rugged and undeniably _hot_.

“Lance?” Keith can feel the heat in his cheeks but he does his best to meet Lance’s eyes.

Except that Lance is the one avoiding eye contact, not Keith. Lance’s cheeks are bright red–even redder than Keith’s– and his wide eyes are fixed on the floor just in front of him. He tries, once, to look up into Keith’s face but his eyes never get past Keith’s bare chest.

And now, sitting there with damp hair and a blush clinging to his cheeks, Lance looks the hottest he has ever looked. The warmth from Keith’s cheeks spreads down the back of his neck before turning into a tingling sensation that trails down his arms and into his fingers. He’s suddenly buzzing with anxious energy that needs an outlet, but the only outlet he wants to give it is Lance. For god’s sake, the boy is already sitting on his bed.

Keith clears his throat and tries again, “Lance?”

A moment passes before Lance manages to choke out a response, “Can you put a shirt on or something, please?” Keith starts to oblige, crossing the room to his closet before Lance speaks again. His gaze is still directed at the floor, muffling his words, but Keith makes them out. “Actually, don’t.”

Intrigued, Keith stops halfway across the room, the towel now in his hand instead of over his shoulder, exposing more skin. Lance has his hands firmly on the bed on either side of him, shoulders hunched as if he were about to stand up but stopped.

Lance takes a shaky breath, one Keith can hear now that he’s closer and finally raises his eyes past Keith’s naked torso and to his eyes. There’s a mixture of uncertainty and determination there and Keith honestly isn’t sure what to expect when Lance speaks next. “I need to tell you something.”

“And you want to tell it to me while I’m shirtless?” Keith shoots for teasing and he sees the way Lance recognizes it. He also sees the way Lance seems to get more nervous in response to it.

“I want to do a lot of things while you’re shirtless,” Lance mumbles, his blush somehow darkening even further.

Keith takes in a sharp breath upon hearing those words, his eyes locking onto Lance. He’s certain he heard that wrong. He must’ve heard that wrong. There’s no way Lance just said that. “You– _what?_ ”

“I-I mean–” Lance stammers. There’s a pause where he’s clearly trying to think of what to say and then he’s standing. Keith can see the exact moment that Lance decides to just throw himself all in and go for it and Keith thinks he both is and is not prepared for what’s coming. “It’s true,” Lance closes the gap between them. “I want to do so many things, seeing you like this.”

The beat of Keith’s heart is strong in his throat, but he manages to choke out his own response. “Yeah? Like what?”

“Like this,” Lance’s words are a soft whisper against Keith’s neck and he feels himself shiver. A moment later, there are gentle fingertips gliding across the skin of his chest. The touch is feather light and almost ticklish, but he still enjoys it. “Or this,” Lance breathes again, his hand sliding up Keith’s chest, around his neck and knotting into the hair at the base of his neck.

Every nerve in Keith’s body is on fire and he feels completely invincible. Lance’s fingers glide through his hair, gently scratching his scalp occasionally and to Keith, it is the actual definition of bliss. His heart is still thundering in his chest and adrenaline is flowing through all of his veins making him feel like he could run ten back-to-back marathons but, alongside that was sheer happiness.

“Or,” Lance bows his head the tiniest bit, “this.”

He says the last word so quietly that Keith isn’t even sure he hears it. But he feels it spoken against his lips a moment before Lance captures them in a full fledged kiss. He’s pretty confident his brain short circuits at the touch, but his body takes over automatically. He had dreamed of having this chance for so long and now it was finally here and he wanted to take advantage of it.

Quickly he snagged the belt loops of Lance’s pants, pulling him closer. Lance huffed a laugh against his mouth, but never pulled away. If anything, Keith could feel the tension melting out of Lance. He ran his hands up Lance’s back, fingers splaying across his shoulders, feeling the way they moved as Lance wrapped his arms around Keith’s neck, pulling him closer and tilting his head for a better angle.

It’s only a matter of moments before Keith is lightheaded. He was so exhilarated that he forgot to breathe. Regretfully, he pulls back from Lance to take a few panting breaths. Their arms stay tight around each other.

“You know,” Keith says, “that’s not what I was expecting.”

“What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know, but not _that_.” Lance starts to pull away so Keith adds quickly, “Not that I’m complaining. I’m not!”

A smile snags Lance’s lips as he leans back into Keith. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” He murmurs, lips against Keith’s ear.

Keith freezes, “How long?”

“What?”

“You said you’ve wanted to do that for so long. How long?”

“I don’t know, since the beginning?” Lance answers, clearly caught off guard. “Why does it matter?”

Keith groans and rests his forehead on Lance’s shoulder, his words nearly muffled by his shirt. “There are _years_ worth of kisses we’ve missed! Do you realize that? We could’ve been doing this for _years_.”

“Well,” Is all Lance says before capturing Keith in another kiss, “I guess we have a lot of time to make up for.”

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

 

Lance stayed the night in Keith’s room–in Keith’s _bed_ and it was all he had hoped it would be. They had stayed up far later than Keith expected just talking and laughing and, well, _kissing_. It was amazing.

What was more amazing, Keith thought, was waking up to gentle kisses. Kisses that started on his lips and traveled across his cheeks and down his neck. It was the kind of morning he never thought he would experience. His one hand tangles lazily in Lance’s hair, the other draping over his shoulder and laying across his back gently.

“Good morning,” Lance nuzzles Keith’s shoulder, placing a kiss there a moment after.

“Mm,” Keith half hums in response. “How did you sleep?”

“Better than I’ve slept in a long time,” Lance replies honestly.

The answer makes Keith’s heart soar. He’s always wanted to give Lance the kind of comfort and support that Lance has given him over the years. Hearing that Lance was able to finally get a good night’s sleep in his presence made him feel like he had accomplished something great.

“Does that mean you’ll stay again?”

“Do you want me to?”

Keith scoffed, flipping onto his side, “Is that a serious question?”

“Yeah,” There’s a hint of a challenge in Lance’s voice but a smile on his lips. “It is.”

Keith rolls his eyes but knows he needs to say it. He wants to be able to say it. What was Lance going to do? Make fun of him? After he had confessed his feelings with a kiss instead of words? “Yes, Lance, I want you to stay tonight. And every night.”

He felt lame for saying it, but Lance’s smile seemed to double in size and suddenly it was all okay. “Then yes, I’m staying. Now hurry up and get up, we’re supposed to be meeting on the bridge in ten minutes.”

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.

It wasn’t the first time Keith had the idea to shove Lance into a nearby alcove as they walked down one of the many hallways of the castle. It wasn’t even the hundredth time. It was, however, the first time he was allowed to act on it, so he did. Scanning the hallway he quickly determined there was nobody there to watch as he pushed Lance into the alcove, forcing him to back up until his back was flush with the wall and his front was flush with Keith.

Lance’s breath left him in a whoosh and Keith spared a moment to make sure he was okay. The smile on his lips was somewhere between flirty and awe-struck and was enough to show Keith that he was perfectly fine. So he wasted no time capturing those lips for himself, pressing his body into Lance. He could feel the definition of Lance underneath him–could feel the way Lance was more muscular than he appeared. He was strong and solid and he felt _good._

He feels the way Lance lifts the edge of his shirt before sliding his hands underneath and running them up his back. Lance’s touch isn’t timid like it had been the night before. Now it is confident and sure. Those hands wander further up his back, successfully pulling Keith’s shirt halfway off in the process but he couldn’t care less.

He pulls away and rests his forehead against Lance, preparing to say something before being interrupted by somebody clearing their throat. They both freeze, eyes locked on each other.

“Am I interrupting?” The tone in Shiro’s voice is amused. Keith closes his eyes in resignation and pulls away from Lance, who slowly slips his hands back out of Keith’s shirt.

“Kinda,” Keith says, shooting Shiro a look.

Shiro laughs–outright laughs. “I can’t believe you guys finally got together. I’ve been waiting for so long.”

“Wait, you knew?” Lance says, pressing himself off the wall so he’s standing up next to Keith.

“Of course I knew, it was obvious.” Shiro answers, his laughter dying down. “But after you denied the bonding moment, Lance, I wasn’t sure it was every going to happen.” Lance clams up when Keith shoots him a look, but Shiro isn’t done yet. “And then you did your best to pretend it didn’t matter to you, Keith. Even though it definitely did.”

This time Lance was the one to shoot a look. Keith opened his mouth to deny it but he couldn’t in good conscious say it wasn’t true. “Yeah, well…”

“I’m happy for you guys,” Shiro said, and he looked genuinely happy for them. “But you can’t be doing stuff like this,” he gestured to the alcove, “unless you want everyone to find out.”

“Do you think everyone would…?” Lance trailed off, but the implication of his question was clear.

“They’ll be happy for you guys, too. I’m positive.” Shiro responded with a kind smile.

So they marched down to the bridge, ignoring the fact that they were already late and entered the room with their hands interlocked and hearts in their throats. Keith barely said a word while Lance stammered out an explanation that they were, in fact, dating. And Shiro was right, everyone was thrilled for them. It was a like the final weight being lifted.

So it was with great pleasure that Keith was able to kiss Lance silent during their big meeting and all he got were teasing looks from his friends. For the first time, everything felt okay.


End file.
